Recipe: Tom kha kai – Thai soup

Ingredients

2″x1″ (5cm x 2.5cm) cube, thin sliced galangal – note: one can substitute ginger, as galangal and ginger are similar, but the flavors are different.

3-4 mini chilies, finely chopped

400g chicken, cubed.

1 medium onion, quartered

1 tomato, quartered and peeled

1 cup (150g) mushrooms, sliced

1½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons cilantro

Instructions

Bring stock and coconut milk to a boil.

Add lemongrass, galangal, chilies, sugar and pepper.

Add onion, tomato, chicken bits, and mushrooms.

Keep at a rolling boil for 4 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Stir in lime juice and soy sauce.

Garnish with cilantro and chilies.

[edit]For one bowl

⅓ cup (80ml) coconut milk

⅔ cups (160ml) chicken stock

½ stalk lemongrass (cut into 1″ bits)

3 thin slices galangal (or ginger, but see above note)

1 mini chili, finely chopped

6 cubes chicken

¼ onion

⅓ tomato, halved and peeled

1 mushroom, cut into 6 pieces

¼ tsp sugar

⅛ tsp pepper

dash lime juice

dash soy sauce

Quick notes

Tom kha kai (or tom kha gai) is a Thai soup with the distinct, very Thai flavor of galangal, a rhizome somewhat similar to ginger. Kha means “galangal” in Thai. This version of the soup is made with chicken (kai or gai).